The Push and the pull of it
by Michmomto3
Summary: Based on spoilers, so read at your own risk. Read and Review, thanks!
1. Chapter 1

Jason Morgan entered his darkened penthouse. As he closed the door behind him he leaned against it, as if asking the building itself to give him strength. He banged his head against the door a couple of times before lurching forward. He set the bottle of tequila he'd been carrying down on the corner of the desk and immediately turned to the closet where he kept it. 'It' was his box… his box of pain…

'God,' he thought 'I'm spending too much time with Spinelli.'

Walking back to the desk, Jason opened the black box slowly and averted his eyes, holding the lid against his chest for a moment before setting it aside. He reached in and flipped everything over quickly so he wouldn't see any face shining up at him. He dug in his pocket and found it. He drew it out and closed his eyes. He turned it over in his fingers, feeling the shape, and unable to stop himself he brought it to his lips. Tears welled behind the eyes that he kept closed, and he tried not to think how this object, this symbol, had found its way back to him. Unbidden the scene unfolded in his memory.

_"What are you doing here?" Jason spat angrily at the woman he loved. Elizabeth looked up from the comatose Michael, startled._

_"I… I wanted to see you," Elizabeth began crossing the room. She reached out to take his hands, but Jason pulled back from her as if he'd been burned. Her hands fell limply at her sides as Jason turned to stare at the intubated little boy. "I also wanted to check on Michael, Patrick says…"_

_"You need to leave." Jason said coldly. He was careful not to look at her. Careful, not to notice the light flowery scent wafting from her. In short, he was doing his best to ignore her, the mother of his child, the love of his life. Judging from the overwhelming need to touch her, his best was not that good. He sighed heavily and finally turned his steel blue gaze on her. Before he spoke again, everything about her registered in his mind. Her soft hair, the ivory sweater cut a quarter inch lower than normal, her heart shaped face, her milky skin, her eyes filled with tears, her full mouth… glistening invitingly as she stood before him breathless._

_"I told you it was over and I meant it." Jason's voice let Elizabeth know why his nickname was Stone Cold. She searched his eyes for the love she knew was there, but was met only with icy indifference. _

_"Jason," she began "please let me…" the rest of her sentence was lost as he advanced on her. _

_"I SAID GO!" He screamed at her. Elizabeth flinched as if he had hit her. It was all Jason could do not to take her in his arms that minute, tell her he was sorry and beg her not to leave him. _

_Summoning strength that many men before her could not find, Elizabeth stood her ground. "I'm not leaving you." She said clearly. "You need me…" She was cut off as Jason grabbed her roughly and flipping her body around, forced her to stand over Michael, her face hovering directly over the boy. Jason held her still, his fingers digging painfully into her arms. Michael lay absolutely still, tubes and wires practically obscuring his young face. _

_"Look at him." He hissed softly into her ear. Elizabeth shook her head, struggling to break Jason's hold on her. _

_"LOOK AT HIM!" He screamed. Elizabeth protested by moving roughly against him. "Is this what you want for Jake? For Cameron?" Elizabeth stopped moving as Jason seemed to sag suddenly against her. "For yourself…" the last words were practically a whisper as he tried to contain the emotion in his voice._

_Elizabeth gently extracted her self from Jason's hold and turned to face him. She backed him a few steps from Michael's bed, and gripping his hands, she moved closer, her body practically touching his. His head was lowered, and his breath was coming in harshly, showing the overwhelming emotion of the moment. She brought her hands to Jason's face and lifted until his gaze met hers. In that moment, she saw everything. The hurt, the confusion, the love, all there in an instant and then… Jason ripped her hands painfully from his face. He gripped her by the upper arm and propelled her toward the door._

_"GET OUT! I. DON'T. WANT. YOU. HERE!" He yelled, punctuating every word. Fire seemed to be streaming from those impossibly blue eyes._

_Elizabeth felt the tears fall, mutinous, from her eyes as she wrenched her arm from the grip of the man she loved. _

_"I AM NOT LEAVING YOU." She screamed back at him. "I love you… we're engaged… and…" _

_Elizabeth was waving her left hand in his face, the exquisite emerald cut diamond glistened before his eyes. Jason's hand shot up suddenly, and grabbed Elizabeth roughly by the wrist as she cried out in protest. Forcing her hand still, he ripped the ring from her finger, throwing it to the ground. They both watched as the ring bounced off of the wall and circled on the ground for a moment before finally laying still, so still. At that moment Patrick came rushing into the room._

_"What the hell??" he asked looking from an enraged Jason to a sobbing Elizabeth. "Get your hands off of her!" he yelled, advancing warily toward the enforcer. _

_Elizabeth took a ragged breath, and straightening herself, she stepped away from Jason and out the door without looking back._

Jason dropped the ring in the box and quickly replaced the lid. He leaned against the table for a moment before grabbing the tequila bottle and taking a long pull from it. He had just put the bottle back on the desk when, from behind him he heard.

"Can I have a sip?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Can I have a sip?" A soft voice said.

Jason closed his eyes; he moved to the door to his Penthouse, opened it, grabbed the tequila bottle and walked toward the balcony stopping to stare out the window.

"You have 2 minutes to leave or Max will take you out by force" Jason rasped through gritted teeth. He took another long pull from the bottle never turning to look at the intruder.

Elizabeth had been sitting on the very top of the stairs waiting for Jason. She watched as he put her ring away and prayed that this time he would listen to her, that he would let her get near enough to him to help.

"Jason…" Elizabeth began, starting to make her way to him. "We need to…"

"We," Jason said, cutting her off "will not being doing anything." Then he let himself go somewhere he knew would hurt Elizabeth in a way that would send her away for good. His voice imitated the cold steel that Elizabeth saw in his eyes earlier that day. "**YOU** need to focus on your children before your oldest tries to kill your youngest again."

Jason heard her sharp intake of breath and a small sob as her footsteps lead away from him. The door closed with a soft click. It was Jason's turn to let out a strangled sob. Enraged with life, with bad choices, with promises left unfulfilled, Jason moved to the mantle above the fireplace and threw everything on it to the ground in one swift motion. The sound of glass breaking was the only sound that filled the penthouse, except a gasp of pain. Jason whirled around to see Elizabeth clutching the back of her hand, gingerly pulling a shard of glass from it.

Elizabeth crouched low, attending to the small wound for a quick moment before she turn her attention to Jason who had reached her in one long stride. Suddenly her small hand was in his large one and he was pouring a little bit of the tequila on to her hand to clean the wound. Elizabeth hissed slightly in response the burn of the liquor hitting her skin. He set the bottle down and caressed her hand gently.

"Why didn't you leave?" Jason moaned as he looked at her hand. "Why are you still here? I could have hurt you so much worse," he said in an anguished whisper.

"Please go," he said softly. His gaze did not meet hers as he pulled them both to standing. "Please," he begged.

Elizabeth felt the tears course down her face as she looked at her love. He stood there, chest heaving, head bowed begging her to go. It tore Elizabeth up to see him in such pain. She had to help him somehow. She took a step closer, about to lean into him when she felt his body tense.

"I'll go," she said softy.

She lifted his face with her hands. Jason's tear filled gaze met hers for a mere moment before she kissed him softly. When he did not respond, Elizabeth dropped her hands from his face, squeezed his hands lightly with hers and turned to leave. At the last possible moment Jason gripped her arm and pulled her back to him. One hand cupped her face pulling her into a kiss; the other snaked around her waste, pressing her body to his.

Elizabeth opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. Jason's tongue joined hers eagerly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He backed her to the stairs, climbing one; he turned so that her body was pressed against the wall. He continued to kiss her, hard and fast. His lips moved over hers as if it was essential to his existence to keep kissing her. One hand held the back of her head, and the other found its way under her sweater massaging her breast, lightly pinching one of her pink buds. Elizabeth moaned into his mouth as she reached down to unbuckle his belt, brushing his throbbing erection as she fumbled.

Jason groaned loudly as she had finally managed to get his belt unbuckled. He stepped out of his shoes and kicked the pants away from them never pulling his mouth from hers. She ran her hands along the waistband of his boxer briefs and under his shirt, moving her hands up over his muscled back, her nails lightly scratching him. He broke the connection to pull the sweater up over her head and she returned the favor, throwing his black T-shirt to the ground, eager to feel his skin against hers. She pulled his body to hers; the heat was coming off of him in waves as she resumed the kiss. His mouth plundered hers. Suddenly, he picked her up forcing her legs to wrap around his waist. He leaned her against the wall, holding her there. He lowered his lips to her neck, he suckled the sensitive spot for a moment, her pulse fluttering wildly beneath his tongue. Her pulse… Elizabeth's pulse… Jason paused… her life. He pulled back and lowered his puzzled lover to the ground.

Jason leaned his back against the wall opposite of Elizabeth and groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face, willing himself from the fog that surrounded him.

"We… I… can't… can't do this," he croaked.

For the first time since setting her down he looked at Elizabeth. He was confused, she did not look defeated, tears were not high in her eyes. She looked so beautiful standing there in only her bra and black jeans. Her hair tousled, her cheeks rosy, her mouth swollen from his kisses, her eyes… resolute. Her hands were undoing the button and zipper of her jeans, she pulled them off and kicked them away, never moving her eyes from his, blue on blue. He willed himself to move, to stop her, to stop this… but he couldn't. He watched as she bridged the short distance between them, under her spell completely. She stretched her body along his and the sensation made his erection twitch against her. He closed his eyes as she pulled him down to kiss her and tried once more.

"I… can't…" he moaned. Elizabeth paused, and whispered into his mouth.

"You don't have to," she said. "I will." With that she reached up and kissed him with all of the passion and love she had for him.

So taken aback by Elizabeth's forcefulness, Jason felt the last of his will power slip away. He picked her up again, her legs tightly wrapped around his waist, and made his way blindly to his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

"You don't have to," she said. "I will." She meant it.

By the time they reached Jason's room they had divested themselves of their remaining clothes. Completely naked, Jason threw Elizabeth down on the bed roughly and parted her legs with one of his. Just before entering her he paused, their eyes locked. Elizabeth had known that, if she made it this far, tonight would not be their typical style of lovemaking. Jason took his time, _every time_, to map her entire body with his hands and tongue. She almost always came _at least_ twice before they actually had sex… she was sure things would be different tonight. She was sure that Jason would simply take her, she felt that he had nothing left to give… that he needed to take.

He was just about to enter her when Elizabeth saw Jason smile down at her body. His head dipped to her left nipple and he nipped at it softly. Elizabeth arched her back, ready for him to take control when, as he leaned up to kiss her, she saw something in his eyes that nearly brought tears to hers. It was not desire, not love, not even want, but NEED. It that instant she knew the kind of need that she saw in his eyes. The need to feel something, anything, other than pain or loss.

With strength she didn't know she had, Elizabeth shifted and managed to flip herself on top of Jason. Without preamble she grabbed his shaft, guided it quickly to her center and impaled herself upon him. Jason gasped, his hands flying to her hips, but Elizabeth slapped them away. She began to move, slowly, rhythmically, contracting her muscles around his shaft as she moved.

Jason groaned; his head against the pillow, eyes closed a look of ecstasy written across his strong features. Elizabeth kept moving, her hands splayed across Jason's chest. She tried to focus only on what Jason felt, his response. She leaned down to kiss his neck, suckle his ear lobe, plunder his mouth… all the while she kept moving. Soon, she felt his body stiffen.

"Eli… Elizabeth" Jason rasped. "Stop" he said bringing his hands to her hips trying to still them even as her movements picked up speed.

Again Elizabeth slapped his hands away. She looked down at her lover, and seeing the waves of pleasure wash over his face, she felt her own response grow as she neared the edge with him. She leaned down, her lips crashing into his, and just as she felt he was at the point of no return she broke the connection.

"Let me…" she gasped. "Let me give this to you, take it." At her words Jason gripped her hips urging her to move faster. She complied and felt herself coming apart just before he did, the strength her orgasm milking his from him.

After a moment she collapsed on top of him. She could feel his heart thundering against hers and she lifted her head to look at him. He was gazing up at her, love clearly written on his face. She moved so that she was next to him, face to face. They stayed like that for a long while, eyes locked. She caressed his face softly and said nothing. She tried to convey everything in her eyes, her love, her understanding, and her strength. Exhaustion began to take hold and Jason shifted, bringing the blankets up around them and settling her in his arms, her head resting on his chest. Elizabeth's breathing evened out and Jason shifted her again. He looked down at her, taken by her beauty, and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you so much" he whispered. His lips lingered at her hairline before turning away from her and giving in to sleep.

The next morning Jason woke up alone. This alarmed him slightly because he was normally a very light sleeper. He sat up suddenly and, crossing to the dresser, he dressed quickly in sweats and a T-shirt. He moved to the hall and down the stairs slowly. When it was obvious that he was alone Jason sighed. He had to admit that he was glad she had gone. He wasn't looking forward to telling her that last night had changed nothing. He didn't relish the idea of hurting her… again. But, she was gone. Something on the desk made Jason move to it quickly. The tequila bottle from last night stood there next to the remnants from the mantle that could be salvaged, the mess a mere memory. None of that is what had caught Jason's attention though; it was the box. The lid of his black box had been removed and the ring, Elizabeth's ring, had been replaced with a scrap of paper on which three words were written. _"I love you."_ Jason picked it up and ran his thumb over the words as he contemplated what to do next.

Jason walked off of the elevator on the 10th floor of General Hospital and his eyes immediately found who he was looking for. Elizabeth stood there speaking with Patrick Drake, unaware of Jason's presence, when another doctor approached her. Patrick moved away from them as the other doctor led Elizabeth away by the elbow. Jason tensed. He had come to talk with Elizabeth about the ring and now he felt possessiveness envelop him as marched toward the pair. They walked just out of sight, around a corner.

"So, what do you say?" the doctor asked smiling down at Elizabeth. She had just been about to answer, feeling awkward, when Jason interrupted.

"Elizabeth" he said sharply. Both Leo and Elizabeth looked up at Jason, surprised. Elizabeth blanched. She knew that Jason was on edge and the look in his eyes made her nervous.

"Can we help you?" Leo asked, clearly not detecting any threat. Jason took a step forward and Elizabeth quickly moved between the two men.

"It's okay Leo," she said leading Jason away. "I'll catch up to you later."

Elizabeth brought Jason into a nearby vacant room and closed the door behind her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, unnerved by the dangerous look on his face.

"I… I came to… Who was that?" Jason demanded gesturing toward the hallway. Elizabeth shook her head apologetically.

"He's one of the doctors," she said softly. "He was just…" Jason cut her off taking a step closer to her.

"He was just what? Was he asking you out?" Jason asked in a voice that was steadily getting louder. "Who asks an engaged woman out?" He said, his eyes darted to her left hand, to her ring, which wasn't there. "Where…" Jason lifted his gaze to Elizabeth, whose eyes had filled with tears, her face shone brightly with the hope he had just ignited in her. She pulled the ring from beneath her shirt where it hung on a long chain.

"Does this mean?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Do you want…" she stopped when she saw pain fill Jason's face. He quickly turned his back on her.

"No" he said, his voice cracking. He turned to look at her, the hope she had held from the moment before falling from her delicate features rapidly. He attempted to remove all emotion from his voice, his face, his eyes, before he spoke again. "No. I came to tell you keep the ring if you want, but last night changed nothing." Jason pushed past her about to open the door when she spoke.

"How generous" she said bitterly. He paused at her words, turning to face her puzzled. "Is this how all mobsters do it?" she asked.

"Do what?" he asked, his confusion evident. Elizabeth moved close to him looking up into his blue eyes, fury radiating from her.

"Abandon their families" she spat. "Is this how you do it, throw a trinket at the mother of your child and move on from there? How can you do this to our son? Forget about me," she said angrily. "What about your son? What about Jake? How can you abandon him?"

"I am doing this for Jake!" Jason yelled at her. "For you, for all of you…" Elizabeth cut him off, jabbing a finger in his chest.

"Liar!" she yelled right back at him, her arms and hands gesturing wildly. "You are doing this for you! You're a coward! Fight for us Jason! Fight!"

Jason grabbed her by the arms and moved her roughly to him, their noses practically touching. Tears were falling from Elizabeth's eyes; her mouth set in a grim, angry line. Jason searched her eyes with his. There was so much he wanted to say, so much to explain but… he didn't have the words. He released her abruptly, tore the door open and stalked out.

Elizabeth stood there shaking, tears coursing down her face. She moved to the bed and sat down. After a few steadying breaths she brought out her cell phone and dialed.

"This is Elizabeth Webber," she said clearly. After listening to the greeting on the other end of the phone, she said "I want to move forward as we discussed." A frown creased Elizabeth's brow as she listened. "Of course I was serious, can you do it?" A determined smile lit her face as she listened, wiping the last of her tears away. "Good, do it." She closed the phone, ran her hands through her hair and returned to work, hopes held high.


	4. Chapter 4

Somehow Jason found his way to the coffee shop. He pushed his way past Spinelli who was trying to speak with the "Stone Cold One" and went directly into the office. Mercifully Sonny was not there. After he had left Elizabeth at the hospital Jason had gone for a ride. It was still chilly, but he liked it that way, the cold and the wind sometimes helped him to think clearly... not so much today. It had been hours since he and Elizabeth fought, and things seemed more screwed up than ever. He tried to focus on his job, but his job right now was to find who shot Michael. Whenever he thought of it, of that little boy that he had once called his, lying there… hurt, comatose, possibly brain damaged… anger literally clouded his inner vision. What he wanted most in those moments was retaliation, justice for Michael, and when he allowed himself to go there, Elizabeth.

Jason sighed and closed his eyes. 'Work!' he told himself firmly. Just then Max walked into the office.

"Boss," Max said. "Dianne is here." Dianne bustled into the office like the force of nature that she was. She was about to address Jason when she stopped to look up at Max and smiled.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you out there," she said, smoothing Max's tie down with her free hand, "but I love this color on you." Her smile widened as Max looked down blushing, he stammered out a thank you.

Jason surveyed the scene with mild distaste. "Dianne, are you here for me or for Max?" he said forcefully. Dianne turned to Jason, pulled from her reverie, back to Max, and finally back to Jason.

"Jason," she said coyly. "Can't a woman notice a well dressed man?" she flashed Max one last smile, sat down and said "Thank you Max." Max shuffled from the room clumsily and Jason sighed, shaking his head.

"What do you need Dianne?" he said impatiently. "I'm busy."

"I know," Dianne said. "You're about to be substantially busier."

As she spoke, Dianne laid three folded court documents out on his desk. Jason looked at the papers with disgust.

"Warrants?" Jason asked warily. The last thing he needed was to spend time in jail answering a lot of stupid questions.

Dianne shook her head. "No," she said. "Nothing like that, but it does need your attention."

"I don't have time for this. If this is some civil issue, you're my lawyer, handle it." Jason said, picking up the phone to dial, trying to dismiss her. She put hand on the phone, ending the call. Jason shot her an angry look.

"No," Dianne said pointedly "I am not your lawyer, not for this," she said tapping the papers with her index finger.

Jason stood up quickly, glowering down at Dianne who, to her credit, was unfazed by this show of intimidation.

"What do you mean," Jason ground out slowly "that you're not my lawyer 'in this'? Whose lawyer are you?"

Dianne surveyed her nails for a moment, and then she smiled, rising to her feet. She met and held Jason's gaze before saying in a clear low voice "Elizabeth Webber's."

xxxx

Elizabeth sat at Jake's listening to Lainey, Robin and Kelly blather on about various doctors in the hospital. Robin had convinced her to come out to get her mind off of everything. She couldn't drink so Robin became the designated driver. Even so, Elizabeth's drink sat untouched. She couldn't stop the thoughts from swirling in her head. Was she doing the right thing? Elizabeth sighed and toyed with her glass. Before she had left the hospital that night she had stopped by Michael's room to check on him.

_Carly was there, holding Michael's hand, resting her head on his bed as she sat next to him, crying softly. Elizabeth couldn't help but envision herself in Carly's place, holding Jake, Cameron, or Jason's hand. Fear crept over her as she backed quietly out of the room. She hurried into the locker room tears spilling down her cheeks. She sat on one of the benches for a long while trying to steady herself, trying to face what she had done. She knew it was drastic and that Jason would be furious. Maybe it wasn't too late to stop things? As soon as the thought had formed in her mind, another, stronger part of her said 'NO!' She was doing what had to be done. It was risky, but she knew that she and Jason had to find a way to make this work._

That was where Robin had found her, and now she was here, lost in her thoughts. Suddenly a hand clapped down on her shoulder. Elizabeth looked up to see Leo Julian smiling down at her. She slapped a bright smiled on her face and tried not to let her awkwardness show.

"May we join you?" Leo asked as Andy pulled a couple of chairs over. Elizabeth froze. She knew that she had to deal with Leo fast. She was just about to answer when Kelly piped up.

"Of course," she purred, winking at Andy. "The more the merrier."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and needing to relax, downed her tequila quickly. Robin immediately filled her glass.

"That's the spirit!" Robin said brightly, and leaning down so that only Elizabeth could hear her she said "Have fun tonight, you deserve it." Robin glanced meaningfully at Leo before re-joining the conversation with Lainey. Elizabeth looked up to see Leo staring at her. She sighed; it was going to be a long night.

xxxx

Jason rounded the desk to stand directly in front of Dianne, confusion heavy on his handsome face.

"What?" he demanded. "Why is Eliza… what is this about?"

Dianne sat down motioning for Jason to do the same, which he did, reluctantly.

"Elizabeth," she said, gesturing to the documents "has given me permission to discuss the motions that I have filed on her behalf with you."

Jason stared at Dianne dumbfounded and losing patience fast. "Get to the point Dianne" he said, his voice rising slightly.

Dianne cleared her throat. "Elizabeth is petitioning the court to have Jacob Martin's birth certificate changed to list you as father, not Lucky Spencer. She requesting that the child's last name be legally changed to Morgan" Jason opened his mouth to speak but Dianne held her hand up to stop him.

"There's more. Elizabeth has also reached an agreement with the District Attorney's office allowing her a plea bargain for the one count of perjury she will be officially be charged with tomorrow morning. At her request I will hold a press conference tomorrow, outlining the charge, and the plea bargain." Jason continued to stare at Dianne, shock clearly written on his face.

"In addition," Dianne continued. "Elizabeth is suing you for child support and will ask the court to set up a visitation schedule for you and your son."

Jason was literally struck dumb. He knew Elizabeth was angry, but he thought she understood deep down that he was right. He snatched one of the documents from the desk. His eyes scanned the document hurriedly and caught something that surprised him.

"She only wants 100.00 a month child support?" He asked incredulously. Dianne sighed heavily beginning to collect her things.

"Men can be so thick sometimes…" she said mostly to herself. Jason glared at her.

"This isn't about money and you know it." She leaned over the desk collecting the documents. "She wants you to claim your son."

Dianne crossed to the door, and paused to look back at Jason. He sat there, eyes closed as he tiredly rubbed a hand over his face.

"One more thing," she said. "Elizabeth told me that she knows you have at least two guards watching her and her boys." Jason's eyes snapped to hers. "I suggest you add more." With that Dianne pulled the door open and strode confidently out of the office.

Jason could not believe what Elizabeth had set into motion. Didn't she understand? How was he going to protect them and concentrate on Michael?

"FUCK!" Jason yelled, picking up a heavy paperweight and sending it flying across the room where it crashed into a framed picture hanging on the wall. At the commotion Max and Milo came running into the room. They both quailed at the sight of a furious Jason Morgan.

"Max!" Jason barked, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "I need you to do something for me."

xxxx

Elizabeth walked up to her front door, Leo following closely behind. She turned to face him.

"I'm alright Leo there's no need to walk me in," she said hoping that Leo would take the hint.

"I just want to make sure, you had a lot to drink," Leo said in a concerned way. Elizabeth could see that he was telling the truth, he was not hitting on her, not just then anyway.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "But I am fine and I need to call it a night." Elizabeth moved to open the door, when it suddenly sprang open. In front of them stood an imposing looking Max. He grabbed Elizabeth by the arm and pulled her into the house, pushing her gently behind him before she could splutter any objection. Leo moved forward and Max put a large hand to his chest.

"She's fine," he said pleasantly as he shoved Leo backwards causing the doctor to nearly lose his footing. "Time to go home now." The door slammed shut leaving Leo standing there bewildered.

Elizabeth moved to the living room stunned.

"What are you doing here Max?" she asked dropping her purse to the couch. Max walked to the couch and took a seat.

"Jason sent me to stay with you," he said. "He thought you would be most comfortable with someone you knew so…"

"Wait!" Elizabeth interjected forcefully. "Stay with me? You mean stay here?"

"Uh…" Max stammered. "Yes. That's what he said, to stay here with you." Max pointed at a sleeping bag in the corner.

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. This was not what she had in mind. Normally she would have been angrily escorting Max out the door, but she had to admit that she knew what she did would have consequences. Dianne had called her not long ago to tell her that Jason knew everything. Elizabeth stayed at Jakes as long as she could stand it, half expecting to see Jason walk through the door. In the end she came home and this was the last thing she expected. She thought Jason would at least call her, and she had to admit, she had hoped he would be here waiting for her. Even fighting with Jason was better than being apart from him. Wiping away her tears, she looked at an increasingly uncomfortable Max and let out a little laugh.

"Don't worry Max," she said kindly. "You don't have to sleep on the ground. The guest bedroom is…" Max cut her off, relief flooding his face.

"I know where it is," he said. "I had to tour the property before you came home," he said sheepishly when he saw the shock on her face and quickly added "for security reasons." Elizabeth's face relaxed, she nodded wearily and moved toward the stairs.

"I'm going to bed Max," she said. Elizabeth climbed the stairs slowly, thanking her lucky stars that the boys were staying with Bobbi tonight.

"That's fine Ms. Webber," Max called after her. "I'll patrol the grounds one more time before I head to bed as well." Elizabeth paused for a moment and then continued her ascent to her room.

"It's Elizabeth," she called down "and it's a yard Max, not grounds." Max chuckled and moved to the back door.

xxxx

Elizabeth moved in her sleep, just on the edge of wakefulness when she felt a tickle across her forehead. She moved to hit the tickle away and bolted up right to see Jason sitting on the side of her bed brushing a stray hair out of her face. She blinked, once… twice… it was real, he was real. She reached up to touch him and he backed away from her. She rose from the bed to make her way to him and he backed even further away.

Jason was so angry when he finally allowed himself to come to Elizabeth's house. He could not believe that she had done this. She had pushed him into a corner, and Jason did not like being in corners. He had come here to have it out, to tell her what she had really done to Jake, to Cam, to herself, to him if anything bad happened to them. Then, he saw her, lying there, twitching a bit in the moonlight. Seeing her like that, reminded him why she did what she did. She loved him, wanted to be with him, wanted him to be with their son. How long had he dreamed that she would come to this decision, and now, now was the worst possible time.

As she stood there next to the bed, deep blue eyes wide, her tank and sweat pants clinging to her small frame, he was struck by her beauty. He scrubbed his face with his hands for a moment before dropping them. He walked over to the mother of his only child and towered over her.

"Tomorrow," he rasped. "We will talk about all of this tomorrow." He turned on his heel and moved to the door. Once there he paused and without looking at her, he spoke so softly she could barely hear him.

"I do love you Elizabeth, but if anything happens to my son because of this, I'll never forgive you." He opened the door quietly and left.

Elizabeth stood there, stunned by his words, and then feeling as if she had no strength left, she sank to the bed, sobs racking her body.


	5. Chapter 5

Elizabeth walked down the stairs into her front room to see Jason, speaking with Max. For a moment she just stood and watched him. He had cut her to the quick with his nocturnal visit just hours before and she hadn't slept a wink since he had stormed out of her door. She was sure that she looked awful, she certainly felt awful. She had turned her decision over and over in her head last night and knew that she was risking a lot, but what got her through that risk was her faith in Jason. She knew he would protect Jake and Cam no matter what. She continued to walk into the room and both Jason and Max turned to her.

Jason looked at Elizabeth's tired face and had no doubt what had caused her to lose sleep. He was sorry for causing her distress, but he did not regret his harsh words even if he didn't fully mean them. She needed to know what she was doing and what the consequences could be. Even so, he was surprised that she made no move to acknowledge his presence at all.

"Are you driving me to court Max?" she said, her voice raspy from lack of sleep.

"Yes," Max said nervously. He looked at Jason who was clearly shocked to be ignored. "I… we'll meet Dianne at the courthouse. After court we need to talk about the new security system and the guard rotation." Max waited for Elizabeth to object, they all objected at first, but she didn't.

"That's fine, but we should go. I can't be late for this." Elizabeth grabbed her purse and coat and moved to the door. Jason stood there, his mouth slightly open, shaken by her complete disregard of him.

"Elizabeth," he said, taking a hasty step toward her. She paused at the door digging in her purse. "Before you go we need to talk." Elizabeth looked up at Jason and he had never seen her eyes look so… hurt, angry, and resolute, all at the same time.

"No, we don't" she said turning back to the door. Jason pulled her back to face him.

"Elizabeth," he tried again. "I know you're upset about what I said last nig…" she cut him off angrily pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"Upset?" she spat. "I am so past uspset!" Her voice rose and she took a step closer to Jason, glaring at him in rage.

"I am sick of reacting…" she waved her hands, gesturing wildly around her "… to what the men in my life do." Jason looked at a complete loss as she continued. Elizabeth began to pace.

"Ric lied to me all of the time, held a woman captive, and I reacted. Lucky… he got addicted to drugs and slept Maxie… I reacted. And YOU!" The last word a high-pitched shout.

"You chose to be a mobster. Then, you laid your choice at my feet. YOU are going to blame ME if something happens to Jake?" Elizabeth's voice had taken on a manic quality as shrill laughter erupted from her. She walked up to him, so close that he could feel her breath on his face.

"I am done reacting to the actions of others," she said in a quiet but powerful voice. "Now I am acting. It is your turn to react," she said pushing a finger into his chest. "I am praying that you're up to it," she turned on her heel and walked out slamming the door behind her.

"That went well," Dianne said. She and Elizabeth walked up to Elizabeth's house. "I'm glad you decided to forgo the press conference for a simple press release," she said. Elizabeth nodded.

"Yes… well… I decided to try and keep things as straightforward as possible. There is enough drama in all of this, why add more?" Elizabeth said.

As if on cue, Lucky came running up the women. His face was flushed, and he looked very worried. Elizabeth sighed and started to move forward. She was surprised to find Max and Milo suddenly flanking her.

"I just got your messages," Lucky said, looking from one bodyguard to the other. "I was on a stakeout… I guess you did it," he said tiredly.

Elizabeth motioned to Max and Milo to step back a bit and took a step closer to Lucky.

"I know you're not pleased. Come inside so we can talk," Elizabeth said. Dianne clucked her tongue. Elizabeth turned to face her attorney. "Dianne, I'll call you later… just proceed as we discussed."

Dianne smiled. "Fine," she said. "I'll see to the court dates." Dianne flashed Max a quick smile causing the large man to blush and left.

Elizabeth pushed the door open and Lucky followed her inside. Lucky sat down on the couch and watched as his ex-wife phoned Audrey to bring the boy's home. Hanging up the phone Elizabeth crossed to the couch and sat down next to Lucky.

"Lucky…" she began hesitantly. Lucky cut her off quickly.

"How can you do this?" Lucky demanded. "You were there when they operated on Michael… Do you want that to happen to Cam or Jake? How can you risk them?"

"I know this is hard for you…" Elizabeth tried again, and again Lucky cut her off, jumping from the couch and pacing.

"Hard?! You're right it's going to be hard, I am going to sue you for primary custody." Lucky stood over Elizabeth clearly trying to intimidate her. She stared down at her hands as if inspecting them.

"Sit down Lucky" she said quietly, bringing her gaze to her ex-husbands. Lucky's eyes bulged giving him a manic look that she remembered from the drug days. She waited for the explosion.

"I WILL NOT SIT DOWN!" he screamed. "I you think I'm going to let you…" Elizabeth jumped to her feet, cutting across him.

"LET ME?" she yelled right back at him. "You don't have a choice Lucky. This can be easy or this can be hard. You want to see Cam? Fine, but I warn you Jason will probably want to send a guard." Her hand shot up to silence his automatic protest.

"You don't have rights here Lucky. You are not his legal father, you never adopted him. I concede that you are the only father he has ever known and I would like him to keep that relationship. Whether he does or not is entirely up to you," Elizabeth finished.

Lucky looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious. He sighed, almost afraid to ask the next question. He swallowed hard.

"What about Jake?" he asked softly.

Elizabeth took a breath. This was going to be hard. Even though Lucky had ripped her life apart more than once she had no interest in hurting him but, hurt him she must.

"You are welcome to see Jake here at the house," she said moving to the mantle to avoid his eyes. "When he's a bit older, you can take him on outings with Cam if I come along… but…" she turned to face him, "Jason is Jake's father Lucky, not you. I am not going to waste one more second… Jake needs to know his father… Jason needs his son."

"_Jason_? You're putting _Jason_ ahead of what's best for our son?" Lucky yelled.

"_MY_ SON! _My_ son with Jason. And, I **am** doing what's best for him. I am not going to let you or Sam or Carly or anyone decide what direction to take my life and lives of my sons in. I have done that for far too long."

Just then the front door clicked shut. Both Elizabeth and Lucky turned to see Jason standing in the doorway. He had been there for a while, mesmerized by Elizabeth. She _finally_ told Lucky how things were going to go instead of letting Lucky dictate her life to her. Lucky advanced on him and Jason stepped forward. The two men stood there toe to toe and Elizabeth sighed wearily. She walked over to them quickly and stood beside Jason.

"You need to leave Lucky," she said quietly. "The boys will be here soon and I'll not have this," she said waving her hands between the two men "going on when they get here."

Lucky stalked to the door angrily, stepped out and then turned back to Elizabeth.

"This isn't over," he said through gritted teeth.

Elizabeth walked over to him and looked directly into his eyes.

"Yes," she said "it is," and she shut the door in his face. She turned to face Jason who looked incredulous. She walked over to him and stood so close that their bodies were nearly touching.

"Are you going to yell at me too?" she whispered looking up into his clear blue eyes.

Instead of answering, Jason leaned in and kissed her, snaking his arms around her waist drawing her closer to him. Elizabeth answered his kiss and opened her mouth slightly granting him entrance to her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck raking her fingers through is short hair. When they broke apart they were both gasping for air. He lowered his head, resting his forehead on hers, eyes closed.

"I love you," he croaked.

Elizabeth felt his body trembling with emotion, and held on to him tightly. She didn't like to imagine the pain and confusion that he was going through right now, but she could. Michael was in a coma, Sonny throwing blame around, Carly coming apart at the seams… and now this. She had known it would very difficult, but it had to be done.

Jason broke out of the embrace and looked down at her, trying to regain his composure. He led her to the couch and they both sat. He took her hands in his and met her gaze.

"I… I know why you're doing this," he began. "But… I just can't see how…" Elizabeth pulled her hands away from his and got up from the couch. She walked toward the spot where Cam set a fire just weeks previous. She stared at it for a moment before turning to face the man she loved.

"Anything can happen Jason," she said. "You want to protect me from danger, but you can't… no one can. Danger is driving when you're exhausted… Hanging out by the docks at night… A little boy playing with matches…" her voice hitched at her last words. She moved back to the couch and pulled Jason to his feet and looked into his eyes.

"We can do this. We can find a way…" as she was speaking Jason closed his eyes and turned away from her.

"No," he said clearly.

"Jason," Elizabeth began. He rounded on her, pinning her with a look that she was sure had quailed many men before her.

"I said no," Jason said, his voice icy. "I know its out in the open now because of the plea… community service in the clinic Nikolas is putting together. I will pay you child support… anything you want. But" he said taking a step closer to her, "I will not agree to visitation, and I think even Dianne will have a hard time finding a judge who will force a known mobster into spending time with a child." Jason finished, his eyes drilling into hers.

Tears were spilling from her eyes as Elizabeth stared at Jason unable to believe what he was saying.

"Jason, please…" she began. Jason was in front of her in a flash. He backed her into the mantle staring her down.

"You don't know me Elizabeth," he rasped. "You've never known the real me. If you did you wouldn't be begging me to stay here." Jason's face was contorted in anger and pain, his eyes flat and cold.

Elizabeth stood there, and with a quick nod of her head she yelled. "Max!"

The big man came lumbering in from the kitchen, shocked to see Jason and Elizabeth locked in what seemed to be a battle of wills, neither breaking eye contact.

"Max," she said, her eyes never leaving Jason's, "Mr. Morgan is leaving, please escort him out."

This caught Jason off guard. He looked at Max, who was a combination of shocked and nervous, and then back to Elizabeth. Despite everything he still saw how beautiful she was standing there… hands on her hips, color high in her cheeks, ocean eyes flashing in anger.

"I know you," she said in a low and angry voice. "I know exactly who and what you are. It is you who doesn't know me. I am not going to let one more person bully or intimidate me into doing anything other than what I think is right. Max, please show Mr. Morgan to the door."

Max took one bewildered step forward and Jason shot him a withering look that halted Max's progress. Without looking back at Elizabeth, Jason moved to the door and left. Elizabeth let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and sank down to the couch. Max stood behind her not knowing what to do.

"Max," she said wiping her eyes. "We need to move forward like we discussed in the car."

Max's face drained of color.

"Ms. Web… Elizabeth," Max corrected. "I'm not sure…"

"That's okay, because I am sure," she rose and turned to look Max in the face. "I have never been surer of anything in my life."

There was a knock at the door and Cam came running in the house.

"Mommy!" he yelled rushing into his mother's arms. Elizabeth looked at Max.

"Do it," she said and walked out of the house with Cam in tow to help her Grams bring Jake inside.

Max opened his phone and dialed.

"Hey," he said. "We need to move forward." He closed his phone and looked heavenward… God help him.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: So this was harder to write than I thought... It is still not exactly what I had in mind. Hope you like it.

* * *

Jason had been gone for a week and it was driving Elizabeth crazy. She knew that she had pushed him, but this… disappearance… was unlike him. Jason had been adamant about finding Michael's killer and helping Carly… now he was gone. Max and Milo were being annoyingly tight lipped about where Jason may have gone. What kept Elizabeth from diving completely over the edge was that Carly was not asking for Jason. She seemed to accept his absence without a second thought and this led Elizabeth to believe that she knew Jason was okay.

Elizabeth rubbed her temples, seeming to will her thoughts elsewhere as she approached the nurse's station. She grabbed her rotation schedule to see that she was in ICU, mostly with Michael, again. Elizabeth sighed… she seemed to be pulling this shift exclusively for a while now. It was not that she minded being around Michael, but every time she saw Carly the urge to ask her about Jason was overwhelming. Going there with Carly was not only ill advised but also unprofessional, she sighed again. Elizabeth moved to where Epiphany was standing.

"Epiphany, any chance I can switch out of ICU… just for today?" she asked.

Epiphany gave Elizabeth a disdainful look.

"No," she said shortly. "The Jacks family requested you specifically, and it seems that Dr. Ford has more interest in keeping benefactors to the hospital happy then letting my most talented nurses work where they are most needed."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows as Epiphany moved to harass Leyla. She grabbed Michael's chart and headed towards his room.

'Great,' she thought. 'Just what I need, one more day of staring at Carly wondering if she knows anything about Jason.'

Wearily she walked into Michael's room to see Carly reading to him. Elizabeth cleared her throat and Carly turned to her. To Elizabeth's surprise Carly's face visibly brightened upon seeing her.

"I just need to check his vitals," Elizabeth said quietly moving to the machines that kept Michael alive.

"I was beginning to think that you weren't coming today," Carly said. Elizabeth lifted her gaze to Carly's.

"My shift started later than usual today. I know that Jax requested that I be Michael's nurse, but if you aren't comfortable with that…" Elizabeth said. Carly interrupted.

"I requested you," she said plainly.

Surprised, Elizabeth's eyes snapped to Carly's.

"I decided to keep tabs on you while Jason was gone," Carly said smugly. "That's right, I know where he is. He trusts me with everything."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and continued out of the room, Carly followed her.

"Aren't you going to ask me where he is… when he's coming home?" Carly asked, a self-satisfied smile lighting her face.

Carly stood in there, hands on her hips, clearly reveling in having the upper hand over Elizabeth. Suddenly there was a beeping from one of the machines in Michael's room and both women rushed over to him. A quick assessment of the situation showed that a sensor was improperly placed. Elizabeth righted the sensor and turned off the alarm. She updated the chart before turning back to Carly who was paper-white. Wonky sensors had triggered alarms before, but it never ceased to send Carly's heart into her throat.

"It's okay," Elizabeth said. "I'll send Patrick in now to go over the latest test results with you." She moved past Carly who had sunk back into the bedside chair.

"Elizabeth," Carly whispered. "He'll be back tonight."

* * *

Jason walked toward his penthouse leading an injured Claudia Zaccarra forward. He felt rushed. He didn't want to leave an injured woman without help and he wanted to talk to her about her next step, but at the same time he was desperate to see Elizabeth. Max had said that Elizabeth and the boys were safe during his absence but something was off. Jason and Claudia had been trapped for the last 3 days, and until just hours before, due to Claudia's father's deadly intentions, Jason's updates had been sporadic at best. Just as they reached the door Claudia's eyes rolled a bit dramatically, and she fainted. Her body sprawled against Jason's, their noses nearly touching… her lips were twitching, seeming to move forward as if willing themselves to touch his lips when she was suddenly yanked back.

"Whoa! Ms. Zaccahara, let me help you!" Boomed Max, smiling deeply at the surprised woman.

Jason stared at Max. What was he doing here? Where was Elizabeth? Who was protecting them? His head was about to explode with questions; Jason locked eyes Max just as Claudia stepped in front of Jason. She tilted her head as close to his as she could.

"Jason," she purred. "I really need to lay down." She placed a hand against Jason's chest pushing him lightly into the door. Jason extracted himself from Claudia roughly causing the woman to stumble. He moved to Max, staring the big man down and pulling him to the side.

"Where the fuc…" Jason said in a low growl. He was cut off in mid sentence as the door to Sonny's old penthouse opened and Elizabeth walked out hand in hand with Cam.

She stopped suddenly, the smile that had just lit her face suspended there briefly before disintegrating at the sight that had just met her. Elizabeth's eyes darted from the woman standing at Jason's door to Jason himself. He froze… trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Before he could say a word or respond in any normal manner, Elizabeth scooped Cam in her arms and hurried over to the elevator that binged open immediately. Max, who had been watching the scene with trepidation, entered the elevator right behind the young mother. Jason stepped forward, and just before the elevator doors, his at Elizabeth, tears brimming in the blue eyes of the woman he loved.

* * *

Max drove silently as he listened to Elizabeth speak softly to her boys in the back seat. They had just been on their way to pick up Jake from Elizabeth's grandmother when Jason showed up. Max swallowed trying to rid the bad taste in his mouth. He had known that Jason was on his way, but not that Claudia was with him. He was sure that Jason had his reasons for bringing Claudia back to the penthouse, but Elizabeth had been sorely hurt nonetheless. Not that she showed it… much. After the initial shock she had never let the tears that had been high in her eyes fall. Elizabeth had simply swiped at her eyes, rolled her shoulders and continued to talk with Cam about his toy motorcycles.

Max pulled into his spot and hopped out of the car, he held the door open for Elizabeth who sat there for a moment with her eyes closed. Cam scampered out and ran to the elevator, Max close behind. Elizabeth smiled, amazed at how easily Cam had gotten used to all of the changes. She got out of the car with Jake in tow and entered the elevator ready to go home to her new penthouse across the hall from Jason. Elizabeth opened her phone and dialed.

* * *

Jason sat in Sonny's…Elizabeth's penthouse fuming. He had a hell of a time getting rid of Claudia and then spent most of the past hour trying to find out what was going on. Milo was reluctant to say anything but eventually let slip something about Dianne. Jason called Dianne who informed him that Elizabeth was now residing in Sonny's penthouse… rent free… with Sonny's permission. Max had told Sonny that it was the best way to keep Elizabeth safe and Sonny… well Sonny was pre-occupied.

Jason looked around. The apartment smelled a bit like fresh paint. The furnishings from Elizabeth's house decorated the once cold space giving it a homey feel. In the far corner stood the easel that Jason had given Elizabeth a couple of months ago. Jason crossed to it and lifted the drape. His breath caught in his throat as Jason looked at the completed portrait of him holding his son. Just then his phone rang. Without even looking at the caller ID Jason answered.

"Morgan," he said gruffly into the phone.

"Jason," Elizabeth said.

Jason's closed his eyes at the sound of her voice. "Where are you?" he said.

"That's my line," she said. "Are you… are you in my apart… pent… place?" she asked stuttering over the words.

"What do you think?" he said icily.

"Okay, I need you to leave," she said. "We'll be there in 3 minutes or so and I can't have the boys being surprised by you just being there when we get _home_," she said, putting special emphasis on the last word, and hung up.

Jason snapped his phone shut angrily, tempted to throw it. Instead he stalked out of the Elizabeth's penthouse slamming the door behind him. He walked to his own penthouse and stood in the shadows waiting.

The elevator doors opened and Cam ran to the door of Elizabeth's penthouse. Elizabeth and Max followed. Jake was in Elizabeth's arms along with her purse, the diaper bag and a large pack of diapers. Jason moved forward.

"Let me help you," he said reaching for the diapers.

"Great," Elizabeth said, she shifted suddenly forcing Jake into Jason's arms. Adjusting the rest of the packages in her arms she leaned in to her son, kissing him on the cheek.

"Say Hi to Daddy," she said softly. Max held the door to her Penthouse open and she walked in.

Jason was stunned, for a moment father and son regarded one another. Jason searched his sons' face for the resemblance that Elizabeth claimed she saw. Jason saw none until he focused on Jake's eyes, his intense sky blue eyes. Identical eyes locked until Elizabeth called out.

"Jason?" she questioned. She was just inside the door waiting for Jason to enter.

Jason's head popped up and he dazedly lurched into the penthouse. Once inside Elizabeth took Jake back into her arms and ushered Cam up the stairs for bath time. At the top of the stairs she turned and called out to Jason who was about to start questioning Max.

"Why don't you and Max go to your place to discuss business… when you are done we can talk," with that Elizabeth continued up the stairs leaving Jason staring after her, his mouth slightly open.

Max started for the door and Jason followed feeling the confusion and frustration of the day settle on him like a bad headache.

* * *

Jason sat on the couch at Elizabeth's waiting for her to finish up with the boys. He had questioned Max for over an hour. He berated the big man for going behind his back… even questioned who Max was working for… who's orders was Max following because as far as Jason was concerned it wasn't his. Max had been surprising cool under questioning, no doubt coached by Dianne. He told Jason that he **was** following Jason's orders. Jason ordered Max to keep Elizabeth and the boys as safe as possible. In Max's opinion this was almost the safest place to do it. The safest place would have been with Jason, but Elizabeth had nixed that idea and Dianne had gotten Sonny to agree to this compromise. Jason pinched the bridge of his nose in worry and exhaustion. He looked up to see Elizabeth looking at him from the stairs. She walked over to him and sat down.

She could see how upset Jason was at this moment. It pained her to add to his worry, but she needed to secure her family in a safe place and that is what she had done. She took his hands in hers and looked into his tired eyes.

"I'm glad you're back," she said quietly. "I was so worried about you." Jason sighed, got to his feet and walked over to the easel. He stared at for a few moments before answering.

"Well, I gave you enough time to set all of this up, didn't I?" Jason said coldly. He turned back to her, ice blue eyes flashing.

Elizabeth jumped to her feet; her own blue eyes spilling fire out at the man she loved.

"I have had quite enough of your attitude. The idea that I am some child who can not make her own decisions. I know exactly what I am doing…" Elizabeth said through gritted teeth. Jason was in front of her in one quick stride.

"Then why are you doing it? You've painted a bulls eye on your back, on the backs of your sons… I know that you want to try, that you want me to protect you, but I can't," he said, his voice cracking on the last word. His eyes were bright with unshed tears as he continued. "Carly tried to have a family with Sonny… look how that turned out…" Elizabeth cut him off.

"You may not want to hear this," she began coldly. "But Carly is hardly the model mother," she held her hand up to stop Jason's automatic protests. "She allowed you and Sonny to conduct business in her home… did a very poor job of explaining the guards… Carly is my new roll model on how _**not**_ to live this life. That is why I asked you to discuss business at your place and not here. This is my home, not your office. I never, ever want business discussed in front of _**our **_boys. Before Sam ruined it, you asked me to be a part of your life. You promised to never bring your business into our home or to involve me in any way… I am holding you to that promise." Jason looked at her in stunned admiration. Elizabeth led him to the door and opened it. "Go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow you tell me what a big mistake I'm making. Tomorrow you can push me away. Tomorrow you can bring by another slut," Jason took in a sharp breath at her last words. "Tonight," she said her voice hitching a bit. "I can't fight anymore."

She turned; about to enter her apartment when Jason caught her by the arms and pressed her against the wall. His mouth crashed down on hers as he pressed his body against her, his arousal evident. Elizabeth deepened the kiss, and wrapped her arms his neck. He pulled her away from the wall, backed her into her penthouse, never breaking the kiss, and kicked the door shut behind them.

After a moment or two, a Claudia Zaccara emerged from the shadows, her dark eyes flashing in rage. 'Who the fuck that little mouse think she was?' Her thoughts raged as she marched up to Elizabeth's door. Claudia only paused for a second before she banged on the door sharply.


	7. Chapter 7

Jason propelled Elizabeth back to the couch, their kisses becoming more and more insistent.

_BANG. BANG. BANG._

They pulled the shirts off of one another as Jason lowered Elizabeth to the couch. She opened her jean clan legs to allow him to settle there and gasped at the strength of his erection pushing against her center.

_BANG. BANG. BANG._

Jason moved his mouth from hers to find the long column of her neck. He kissed a sensitive point near her collarbone and she sighed softly.

_BANG. BANG. BANG._

He trailed kisses down her exposed chest, and moving the lace of her bra aside, he took her pink bud in his mouth and suckled eagerly. Elizabeth moaned and arched her back, her hands flying to his head, trying to pull him closer.

Suddenly the long and loud buzz of the doorbell followed by the whimpering of a baby pulled them from the world where only they existed. Jason groaned and turned angrily toward the door. Elizabeth looked to the stairs listening for Jake hoping he would calm himself and fall back asleep. It looked as though she would get her wish when the doorbell buzzed again, louder and longer this time. Jason jumped from the couch, looking murderous, advancing toward the door when Elizabeth stopped him. She pulled him back to her, and put his hand around her naked waist. He unconsciously skimmed his fingers along the back of her waistband sending shivers down her spine. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled his face down to hers even as she reached up to him.

"Handle whoever is at the door," she whispered feverishly. "I'll take care of Jake… just come back to me Jason… stay with me tonight."

Jason had never seen anything so beautiful. Elizabeth stood before him, lips bruised from his kisses, cheeks rosy, eyes bright with passion. He couldn't help it, his closed the small distance from his mouth to hers and kissed her urgently. The door buzzed again and they broke apart reluctantly. Elizabeth smiled and sprinted up the stairs to a wailing Jake while Jason tried to get ready to open the door. He looked down at his protruding erection and sighed, now was not the time for company.

"JASON!!" came a screech from behind the door. "JASON MORGAN!!" Claudia pounded on the door again, smashing her hand against the doorbell.

At the sound of the woman's voice Elizabeth moved to the top of the stairs, Jake in her arms. She stood in the shadows to hide the fact that she was still half-naked. She cooed to her son as she watched a shirtless Jason nearly rip the door off of its hinges. Anger and jealousy coursed through Elizabeth as she watched the older woman's eyes move over Jason's exposed chest. She turned quickly back to Jake's room, set the tot in his crib, turned on the mobile and hurried to her own room. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed.

Jason stood at the door, shirt in hand, chest heaving, anger and resentment streaming from his icy eyes, and the only thing Claudia Zacarra saw was the magnificence that was Jason Morgan. It took her a moment to focus on what Jason was saying… he seemed to be talking…

"CLAUDIA!" Jason yelled. He stole a look to the stairs, thinking of Jake, who had been quiet for a couple of minutes. "What. In. The. **Fuck**. Are you doing here?" Jason spat at her.

Claudia shook her head slightly, and tried to think what to say.

"I need to…" she began haltingly. "I… have information for you. You… you said you would help me with my father…" Claudia stumbled over her words. She could see Jason was getting ready to kick her out. She played her trump card. "Don't you want to find out who hurt Michael?"

Then she saw it. She couldn't believe it, the great Jason Morgan was blushing. She watched as the blush moved quickly from his face to his chest. Feeling triumphant Claudia took a step closer, about to touch him she saw the reason for the blush.

The mouse she had seen kissing him only minutes before moved from behind Jason, her hand intimately running across the band of Jason's jeans. Claudia's eyes widened as the small woman emerged completely. Elizabeth stood before the woman she knew to be a Zaccara in a light pink sleeping tank and matching pants. Her chestnut hair tumbled across her shoulders, and on her hip she held a small child. Claudia assumed the child was a boy… he was dressed in pajamas that were covered in trucks. The thing that was most distressing was that Jason was staring at the mouse and her brat so intently, so… intimately… that it was as if he had forgotten her presence all together. She was about to speak but the mouse beat her to it.

"Hello," Elizabeth said. She smiled at Claudia's obvious shock and anger. "How can I help you?"

"You can't," Claudia spat out through gritted teeth. "I need Jason."

Elizabeth shifted Jake in her arms. She looked up at Jason, whose eyes had never left her face since she had walked into the room. He quickly pulled his shirt on.

"Can you take him Jason?" she asked putting the small boy in his father's arms. "Go to daddy," Elizabeth cooed to her son before turning back to Claudia who had visibly flinched at her last words.

"If you need Jason, why are you _here_?" Elizabeth asked, a look of mock confusion played across her delicate features. "I am sure you know where Jason lives… did you decide to start pounding on random doors when he wasn't home?"

Claudia's face filled with color. Elizabeth knew Claudia must have seen them in the hall, she smiled as sparks flew from the dark eyes that kept darting from her face to Jason's. Jason said nothing, he gently rocked Jake who was resting his head on his father's shoulder. As he rubbed his son's back, Jason found himself staring in awe at the woman he loved. She had shown him that the depth of her strength and conviction was seemingly endless. Claudia straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat in an effort to regain control of the situation.

Claudia extended her hand to Elizabeth. "I don't think we've met," she said, her voice filled with venom. "Claudia Zaccara."

Elizabeth smiled and extended her left hand to Claudia. As she did so the light glinted off of the large emerald cut diamond of her engagement ring.

"Elizabeth Webber," she said. The smile on her face widened as Claudia's gaze swiveled from the ring to Jason finally settled on Elizabeth's smirking face.

Before Jason had time to react at all the elevator doors opened and Max hurried out. He looked worriedly from Jason and Elizabeth to Claudia.

"Max," Elizabeth said. "Thanks for coming back." She turned to Jason, reaching for Jake. "I'll just put him to bed. If you have business to discuss with…" Elizabeth paused, feigning a bad memory, gesturing her hands toward Claudia.

"Claudia," the raven-haired woman spat out.

"Yes, Claudia," Elizabeth over-acted. She turned back to Jason. "If you have business with her, fine," she kissed his cheek, "I'll just see you in a few minutes."

Elizabeth felt all eyes on her back as she walked up to Jake's room. She put her son in his crib and sighed as she leaned against the door jam. Who was this Claudia to Jason anyway? Business for sure, but Claudia seemed to think more was in the works. Elizabeth felt tears begin to form behind her eyes. Not because of what Jason could want with Claudia… the idea of those to two together… no. It was that she had tried just now to be the perfect version of herself in this new life. To be a strong woman of the house, yet showing that she understood that business was business. The fact that Jason was with Claudia now and discussing whatever the bitch wanted to talk about instead of here with her made Elizabeth feel like she had lost. Was Sam right when she spat out that Jason would never put Elizabeth first? That he was married to his job?

Elizabeth walked to her room and took her ring off placing it in her jewelry box. It had been childish to flash it at Claudia, but that brief flare of jealousy had clouded her judgment. She moved to the bathroom to splash water on her face when she heard voices downstairs. Moving to the top of the stairs she could see that Jason was just outside of her door still speaking to someone.

"Stop!" Jason exploded at Claudia. "Stop stalling. Just tell me what you know about Michael."

Max stood behind Claudia, arms crossed, waiting. Claudia glanced at the big man and then back to Jason.

"Not here," Claudia said in a low growl, she took a step forward and Max pulled her back by the arm.

"If you don't come and talk with me now," she said, clearly pissed. "I won't give you the information at all."

"Don't tell me," Jason shrugged. "That won't stop me from finding out," he used a tone that Claudia had heard from him before. It was how he talked to the enemy to intimidate. Just then the mouse appeared at his side.

"You're making a serious mistake," Claudia ground out, eyes fixed on Elizabeth.

"Time to go." Jason said his voice rising. Max attempted to pull Claudia to the elevator but she broke free and moved to the elevator on her own steam. She whirled around and pointed at Jason.

"You will live to regret this moment," she spat. She turned back to the elevator and left.

Jason sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He started a bit when Elizabeth pushed past him.

"Max," she said. "Why did you leave? You told me how important it was to have a guard on the floor at all times… what if the boys had been around when she showed up? Where were you?" Elizabeth asked wearily.

"I… uh…" Max stuttered looking to Jason.

"I sent him home," Jason said somewhat bewildered. "I figured I was here, so…." Elizabeth cut him off exhaling noisily. She grabbed him by the hand and led him to the old Janitors station.

"Open it," she said to Max.

Max opened to door clumsily to reveal what looked like a monitoring station. Monitors showed the elevator – inside and out, the stairs, the penthouse doors… everything in the hallway. There were alarms to signal when the elevator was approaching. A card table, a small refrigerator, there was even a very small bathroom inside.

"There is supposed to be a guard here at all times whether they are seen or not. If you want Max to do other… work, get me someone else," Elizabeth huffed. Max grunted indignantly and she added. "But I prefer Max." This last sentence elicited a broad grin and a slight blush from Max.

Jason glared at Max wiping the smile from the big man's face and turned to Elizabeth. He marveled at how many times she had surprised him with her willingness to adapt in the last couple of weeks. She stood in front of him, hands on her hips, clearly waiting for a response.

"I… I… just thought since I was…" Again Elizabeth cut him off. She walked up to him and smiled ruefully.

"For someone who is constantly reminding how dangerous 'this' life is, you sure have a lot to learn about how to live it safely," she took him by the hand and led him to her penthouse. "Max," she called over her shoulder. "Please stay in the guard room tonight." Max nodded.

Elizabeth pulled Jason into her apartment and shut the door behind her.

"We need to get a few things straight," she said quietly.


End file.
